James Turrell creates ecstatic and deeply beautiful art through his use of the purest of materials: light, framed within space. Acro, Green is an iconic example. In what came to be known as his "Projection Piece" series (1966–69), Turrell cast a beam of light from a high-intensity projector across a room onto a mural surface. Where the projection hit the wall (or corner) it became a sharply defined geometric form, both actual and illusionary.

Acro, Green, from this founding stage in Turrell's career, is created by projecting a single, controlled beam of light from the opposing corner of the room. As it hits the corner, the projected light gives the illusion of a three-dimensional cubic form. The first version of this corner installation was created in 1967 with white light. A year later, Turrell made this variation in green—a color he uses sparingly.